It was another glorious crisp sunny day.
So I decided it might be time to drain the colors from the pictures
The park boardwalk is getting new ugly metal handrails...
...to replace the more attractive wooden rails from an earlier time:
The city park hasn't changed much in the grand scheme of things.
Cheyenne was in the mood for some urban forest exploration.
She is my alibi in a place where men are known to cruise for sex. Odd that, in a town where being gay doesn't raise an eyebrow but I suppose there are lots of reasons to stay in the unhappy closet, not all of them political but personal.
Here too we find weird ditches, dug to house mosquito fighting fish in the good old days of endemic yellow fever.
"Him and his camera!"
And nearby the airport, momentarily caught in monochrome.
There, that's better!
Delta hauling people away. I like watching them go, knowing I am where I want to be.
A girl needs a pause between walks.
Snowbird relaxation:
My colleague Nick was learning to fly in this plane which recently fell out of the sky while on a charter. No one was seriously hurt but Nick has decided perhaps his flying career is closed, perhaps prematurely but while he is still in one piece.
I keep telling him: motorcycles are much safer.
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I went to Blue Heaven but many people looked happy enough breakfasting at the scene of last night's debauchery while these two fine specimens of vacationing womanhood were enjoying their private terrace at La Concha, ignoring the toiling masses in the street below their hotel:
The cab driver saving gas by keeping his windows open while he waits for a fare:
The street sweeper cleaning up the debris in the gutters:
Then there is the city employee hosing down the sidewalks to prepare the street for fussy visitors who prefer not to wade through trash on their way to get toasted:
Some are already busy at the bar in Sloppy Joe's at 9:19am (I checked my watch):
And I am forced to wonder how many tourists in Key West have ever seen The Bull looking like this:
Nothing quite so forlorn as a bar all closed up. I caught this guy, an advertisement for a real living wage if ever I saw one, toiling up Rose Lane:
All those beer bottles that get thrown away empty, not recycled, arrive on Duval by human power, even in the early 21st century. And there is the vendor at Duval and Eaton who will spend the day getting toasted on his own (by the sun) selling Key West made trinkets. He starts his long day hauling his cart into position by hand:
While across the street at St Paul's relief is at hand if only one has the patience:
And don't forget the lunch time organ recitals which are delightful and free and start at 12:10pm and last about half an hour, in the cool recesses of the church.
The operator at the Hyatt booth was kind enough to help out some faceless visitors seeking directions:
Some other early birds on Caroline Street were getting last minute instructions on bicycle riding, as they wheeled off their rentals:
Bicycles are an excellent low stress way to get around town, especially if you're on vacation and it doesn't matter if you show up sweaty and hot. Mopeds are a close second and for those who rent cars I found these next two pictures, shot on Charles Street, to illustrate an obvious parking point:
Bear in mind these are likely locals vehicles and it usually doesn't pay to park like a local in Key West as parking enforcement and property owners usually know and recognize vehicles that belong in outlandish spots. Technically its not legal to lock a bike to city sign or street lamp but it would be an unlucky tourist that got her bike removed by Public Works during a brief stop. Riding the wrong way down a one way, even on a bicycle can get you a ticket, especially if you have a shitty attitude. As far as parking goes you can't beat a bicycle. And, by the way, if you have a few extra bar stools you don't need this is where you can dump them apparently:
I've remarked previously on the rather poor taste of many of the t-shirts displayed on Duval Street and some people think bongs, typically used to smoke marijuana shouldn't be on sale either. But there they are all lined up for inspection. Rather more prosaically there is a small grocery store on Duval Street and goes by the name of Shorty's, and I've never even stopped off to buy water here, but for some reason, probably because the air conditioning beckoned, I stepped in.
It was quite the revelation actually, like a real grocery store with all sorts of useful items for the forgetful tourist. I ended up spending $13 on stuff that looked pretty good to me. I got the Turkish coffee as a taste test for my wife who has a trip planned there (Turkey, not Shorty's) with some girlfriends in September, and I'm quite partial to Patak's curries so I bought a couple of meals in a box I'd never seen before. I've since eaten one and they are quite decent too, hurricane food or for a quick dinner at work:
